Part 2 - Princesses!
by halcyondaze
Summary: Aeka worries about the changes everyone's relationships have gone through and Sasami sees something dangerous on the horizon.
1. Aeka - No Need for Golden-Eyed Monsters

Aeka! Chapter 1: No Need for Golden-eyed Monsters  
  
Author: Ryoko-chan  
  
Email: _Ryoko_@masakishrine.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Aeka's back from her adventure to Miho's and worries about what the whole thing might have done to Ryoko and Tenchi's friendship.  
  
Spoilers: Some for Tenchi Muyo! in Love 2 (Tenchi Forever!)  
  
Disclaimer: How many times has this been said? I don't own any of the Tenchi Muyo! characters, although I like to think I own Ryoko, I don't. They belong to AIC, TV Tokyo, and Pioneer Entertainment. Don't sue me, although I doubt anyone will ever even read this anyway.  
  
Author's note: This is a continuation of the story that the Ryoko! stories started. This is the second part of a six part series. Also, I'm not too much of an Aeka fan, but I'm trying to be fair to the character. If I seem a bit out of character, you now know why. If you want to completely understand what's going on in these chapters, I suggest that you read the first four chapters which are under the title Ryoko!.  
  
==============================  
  
AEKA! CHAPTER 1: NO NEED FOR GOLDEN-EYED MONSTERS  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Ugh, I've had this cold for days now. Nothing I seem to do helps it very much. I'm leaving Ryuoh's sap as a last resort. I am on Earth now and I need to start doing things the way they do on Earth.  
  
The last few days here have been interesting, to say the least. Not that anything is ever dull. A little friend of Ryoko's showed up and decided that she wanted a fight. Instead of taking that miserable woman, she takes my little sister! Poor Sasami. Of course, I can't blame Ryoko either, I guess. Its not her fault that those gems of hers give her weaknesses. Its Miss Washu's fault. Well, its somebody's fault. It certainly isn't mine.  
  
After Miho took Sasami, Ryoko continued to insist that she couldn't go after her. Not until the next morning. I wasn't about to let my sister, the second princess of Jurai, sit in some lowly, cold, dark cell all night, so I left without either Ryoko or Tenchi. Not only did I leave without either one of them, I left without telling either one I was leaving. By the time they had gotten the news that I had left, Miho had me in the same restriction cell she was keeping Sasami in. At least Sasami wasn't alone...  
  
"What are you doing here, Aeka?" Sasami asked me as soon as I appeared in that horrible place.  
  
"I came to get you, Sasami. Unfortunately things didn't turn out the way I wanted them too."  
  
"Where's Tenchi and Ryoko?"  
  
"They're not coming, Sasami. Not until the morning."  
  
"The morning? Why?"  
  
"Because if I see Ryoko or her boyfriend's face anywhere near this ship before tomorrow morning, I'll have myself two princesses to barbecue." Miho said, glaring into the cell. "Now shut up, both of you. Especially you. Your voice annoys the hell out of me." She said, pointing to me.  
  
That woman had worse manners than Ryoko ever did. And her spaceship was a mess. I'm surprised she could fly the thing. Maybe that's why she crashed into the lake and not because she was looking for Ryoko. Maybe it was just all a coincidence. No, that's too convenient.  
  
Either way, it was a long night. It was too cold to get any sleep and we were both too tired to stay awake. Finally around sunrise, I managed to fall asleep shortly, but not for long. Sasami had awakened me at the sight of Ryoko and that horrible Miho fighting on the viewing screen.   
  
"Oh, no!" Sasami said at one point. "Ryoko's used all her energy." And she turned away as Miho held her energy sword over Ryoko's head.  
  
Then I could see Lord Tenchi blocking what would have been a death strike. I didn't find out until later that Tenchi had sworn to Ryoko not to interfere. Surely she must have known Tenchi wasn't going to watch her die in front of him when he could do something to stop it.  
  
Sasami and I continue to watch the fight until Ryoko finally defeats that annoying Miho and the cell we were in opens and the ship drops out of subspace. Before we knew it, Kione and Tenchi had gotten us out of there, while Washu and Mihoshi got Ryoko inside and cared for her there.  
  
Everyone feared for the worst with Ryoko. Yes, including myself. Ryoko's risked her life so many times for Sasami, Lord Tenchi, and myself so many times. When Tenchi had disappeared last year was when I first realized I didn't belong with Lord Tenchi. I saw what Ryoko had gone through when he chose to stay with Haruna. I knew that she cared for him more than I did and I knew then that her heart had always been in the right place when she did the horrible things she did. I realized that Ryoko wasn't the demon I had always said she was. Of course, she doesn't know this. And she better not find out.  
  
For three days everyone took shifts watching over Ryoko, nursing her back to health. Everyone but Lord Tenchi. He didn't speak to anyone for those three days unless they asked him what was bothering him. But then he simply said "Nothing" and walked away. Washu hovered over Ryoko the most. I don't know if it was because her motherly instincts were surfacing again or because she felt guilty. Perhaps a little of both.  
  
Sasami was genuinely worried, as was I, when she found out that Ryoko had exhausted her powers twice. We have seen Ryoko exhaust her powers before and it would usually take her at least an hour to recover but somehow she managed to recover so quickly. Perhaps it was to save Tenchi.  
  
On the third day, when Ryoko woke up again, a large cloud of gloom seemed to lift over the house, but then it settled over Lord Tenchi's head. When she woke up, Tenchi kept himself separated from the rest of us and when she started toward her room, it was as if they didn't see one after.  
  
"Ryoko?" I ask, walking up behind her.  
  
"What do you want, Princess?" She asks me in her mocking tone.   
  
"Thank you for what you did." I tell her. She looks a bit surprised to be getting a thank you from me.  
  
"Don't mention it. You do know how stupid you were for going after Miho like you did. You don't trust me now, Princess?" She replies, I know how much she hates to be thanked for anything she does. She's afraid it would make her look like she cares about someone.  
  
"I never did, Ryoko." I say to her as I smile. We all have our facades to keep up. "Go rest up. We'll see you at dinner."  
  
And after that, she continued up the stairs slowly. Before I rejoined everyone else in the living room, I walk over to Tenchi.  
  
"What's wrong, Aeka?" He asked me.  
  
"You should go talk to her, Tenchi." I said, and I walked away from him, when I turned back around, he was gone.  
  
  
That was last night. Now its as if nothing has happened. All except one thing: Ryoko refuses to talk to Tenchi. I never thought there would be a day that Ryoko would turn away from Tenchi in anger. Neither one will talk about what happened between them, but I refuse to believe that its irreconcilable. Otherwise Ryoko would've moved out by now.  
  
So now, I'm sitting at the table with Mihoshi, Kione, and Sasami trying to find a way to find out what's happened. My cold has lightened a tiny bit. If its not better by tomorrow, I'm asking for Ryuoh's help. I'm getting tired of this.   
  
"Something must have happened before Ryoko went to fight that girl." Mihoshi said.  
  
"If that was true Mihoshi. Why did Tenchi go with her outside?" Kione asked.  
  
"He's Tenchi, Kione. He would never let her go by herself." Sasami said, feeding Ryo-ohki a carrot.  
  
"She's right. He would have done that with any of us, unless he was asked not to." I say.  
  
"So whatever happened, happened during that fight out there." Kione says, sighing and leaning against the wall. "It would be nice if one of them would tell us what was going on."  
  
I nod in agreement.  
  
"I never thought you'd care what was going on between Ryoko and Tenchi, Aeka." Kione says.  
  
"Why not? They are both my friends..."  
  
Everyone just looks at me.  
  
"What? Tenchi and Ryoko are my friends. If there's something wrong between them, I want to know what it is."  
  
They just continue to stare at me in disbelief.  
  
I sigh and get up.  
  
"I'm going to my room for a bit." And I walk away from the table.  
  
"I think she's just given up on Tenchi." I hear Mihoshi whisper.  
  
I sigh and look down at the floor as I walk to my room. I don't want to admit it, but maybe I have given up on Tenchi. I don't want to give up on him, but he needs to make a decision and all the signs say that he would choose Ryoko. They have a special connection between them and they need to realize it before its too late. If I back away from Tenchi, maybe they'll both realize it sooner.  
  
I walk over to my bed and sit quietly in the dark for a while. This is the last thing I ever thought I would be doing. I love Tenchi so much, but if that's true, I would want to see him happy. I think he'd be happy with Ryoko if I could figure out what is going on between them. But giving up Tenchi...  
  
I lay down slowly and start to cry.  
  
  
I must've fallen asleep. I wake up to find Ryoko sitting in my room.  
  
"What are you doing here, Ryoko? What time is it?" I ask, looking around for my clock.  
  
"Its two o'clock." She says softly.  
  
"Two? Why is it so dark?"  
  
"Its two in the morning, Aeka." She says.   
  
"Well, what are you doing here? Should you be in *your* room?"  
  
"Sasami came and got me about two hours ago. She said that you were talking in your sleep and she couldn't wake you up. You were running a bad fever, Aeka. You shouldn't have waited so long to use Ryuoh's sap to cure that cold of yours. You developed pneumonia, Washu said."  
  
"Pneumonia?" I say, sitting up.  
  
She nods.  
  
"And I got stuck with watch duty. Sasami got the sap shortly after she came to get me. You seem fine now. Now I can go get some sleep." And she gets up to leave.  
  
"Wait, Ryoko."  
  
"What is it, Aeka?"  
  
"What's going on with you and Tenchi?" I ask her quickly.  
  
Her face darkens and she sighs angrily.  
  
"Nothing. Go to sleep Aeka. You still need your rest." She says as calmly as she can without screaming at me to mind my own business and she teleports away.  
  
After sleeping for more than twelve hours, I find it rather difficult to get back to sleep. I go into the kitchen and get some water and go outside to sit on the front steps. Its rather cool outside. Autumn is almost here and it has been getting cooler and cooler.  
  
"What are you doing out here, Miss Aeka?"   
  
"Tenchi! You surprised me."   
  
"I'm sorry, Aeka. You really shouldn't be out here. Its rather chilly and Miss Washu said that you were rather ill."  
  
"I'm feeling much better. Ryuoh's sap takes effect rather quickly. What are you doing out here? Should you be asleep?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep." He says quietly.  
  
"Me too." I say quietly.  
  
"Is something wrong?" He asks.  
  
"No...I saw Ryoko before I came down stairs." I reply. If Ryoko won't tell me anything, maybe Tenchi will.  
  
"Really?" He says like he's not interested.   
  
"Yes, she said that Sasami asked her to make sure I was all right."  
  
"That was nice of her. I think I'm going to bed now." He says. "You really should come inside, Miss Aeka."   
  
Then he walks inside and goes upstairs.  
  
I sigh and stand up to go back inside. These two are hiding something and I refuse to rest until I find out what it is.  
  
-------------------------------  
~End Chapter 1 of Part 2~  
Eek! That was bad...I just know it.  
Go easy on me...I'm not very good at thinking like Aeka would.  
Aeka! Chapter 2: No Need for Busy Bodies is next...  
  



	2. Aeka - No Need for Busybodies!

**Aeka! Chapter 2: No Need for Busy Bodies  
  
**Author: Ryoko-chan  
  
Email: _Ryoko_@masakishrine.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Aeka and the other girls try to find out what is happening between Tenchi and Ryoko but Aeka finds herself soul-searching instead.  
  
Disclaimer: How many times has this been said? I don't own any of the Tenchi Muyo! characters, although I like to think I own Ryoko, I don't. They belong to AIC, TV Tokyo, and Pioneer Entertainment. Don't sue me, although I doubt anyone will ever even read this anyway.  
  
Author's note: As I've said, this story is a continuation of the RYOKO! stories. To understand what's going on between Tenchi and Ryoko, read them. They explain it. Also, as I've said before, I'm not too good at writing from Aeka's POV. Spare me the ridiculing.  
  
Author's note to someone who reviewed the 1st Chapter of this part: Aeka does NOT want to see Tenchi and Ryoko together. She'd much rather have herself standing next to Tenchi or her eyeballs burned out with red-hot pokers. **  
  
**==============================**  
  
AEKA! CHAPTER 2: NO NEED FOR BUSY BODIES  
**By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Its morning now and for the first time since Ryoko defeated Miho, the entire household is sitting down for breakfast together. Even Father and Grandfather, that is, Tenchi's father Nobuyuki and Tenchi's grandfather Katsuhito or Yosho as he is known on Jurai. Everyone has just gotten used to calling them Father or Grandfather.  
  
It is unusually quiet during breakfast. Mihoshi tries occasionally to start a conversation but Kione usually stops her when she becomes a little too persistent. Ryoko is the first to finish her breakfast and she gets up and takes her dishes into the kitchen, which is something she usually leaves for Sasami, and teleports out of the house. I can only guess at where she went.  
  
"Something is really bothering Ryoko..." Sasami points out. "I wonder if she is feeling all right. She hasn't said a word in two days."  
  
Of course, we all know that's not true. She just hasn't said a word in two days around Tenchi. I notice that when Sasami points this out, Lord Tenchi just looks at the food in his dish and sighs.  
  
"I wish she'd talk to us about it." Mihoshi says.  
  
"Yeah. If something's bothering her, she should let us try to help." Kione says.  
  
"Hey, where's Miss Washu?" Sasami asks.  
  
"She's in her lab. She hasn't come out of there since Ryoko woke up." Mihoshi says. She would know, she makes frequent visits to Washu's lab without Washu's permission.  
  
"This is all strange." Sasami says. "What do you think, Tenchi?"  
  
"Huh?" He asks, surprised. I don't think he was expecting to be drawn into the conversation.  
  
"What do you think about how Miss Washu and Ryoko have been acting? Strange, huh?" Sasami asks.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I guess so. Maybe someone should go check on Little Washu." He suggests.  
  
"Oh, I will do that." I offer. It has been a while since I've been to her lab anyway.  
  
"But what about Ryoko, Tenchi? What do you think is wrong with her? Maybe someone should talk to her too." Sasami suggests. She's been laying it on a little too thick, but she's doing a fine job. Just like I told her too.  
  
"I don't know Sasami. Maybe she just needs some time to herself." And then he gets up from the table. "I have some work to do in the fields. I'll see you all later." And then he leaves.  
  
"Ugh, we almost had something out of him, I just know it." Kione says.  
  
"What are you girls up to?" Grandfather asks. I forgot he and Father have been sitting there the whole time.  
  
"Oh, nothing. I think I'm going to go check on Washu now." I say, leaving the explaining to Sasami, Kione, and Mihoshi.  
  
I walk over to the utility closet. I always found in strange that Miss Washu decided to use the closet for her laboratory. I suppose that she wanted to show off by extending it to about a hundred times its normal size. I knock on the door quietly and walk inside. The door hits a small metal crab-like thing that Washu uses as a doorbell.  
  
"What can I help you with, Aeka?" She asks me before she even turns around.  
  
"Sasami and everyone else was wondering if you are feeling all right. We haven't seen very much of you since Ryoko woke up."  
  
"You seem to be feeling better." She says, ignoring my previous statement.  
  
"Yes, I am. Thank you."   
  
"You and the others have been wanting to know what's been going on between Tenchi and Ryoko, haven't you?" She asks.  
  
"Of course not, Miss Washu. What would give you that idea?"  
  
"I heard you ask Ryoko what was going on last night."  
  
"Miss Washu! You were eavesdropping!"   
  
She just shrugs. Of course I should have known better. Washu hides out in her lab all day pretending not to care what is going on with everyone else, but in reality she's in everyone else's business with her experiments.  
  
"Either way, that's what you really came in here for, isn't it? You know that I can read Ryoko's thoughts and you were wondering whether I could tell you what is going on or not."  
  
"Can you?" I ask her.  
  
"I could. But I'm not going to, Aeka. This is between them. I suggest you let them figure this out from themselves. Why are you so interested anyway? This is Tenchi and your arch-rival we're talking about here."  
  
"I know that, Miss Washu. It's hard to explain."  
  
"Ever since you and Ryoko went to find Tenchi in that parallel world that Haruna created, you've felt that you and Ryoko have grown closer in friendship and you want to know what is wrong between two of your friends." She says, typing on her computer.  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"But part of you doesn't really want to help them. You know that if you help them, Tenchi and Ryoko might just go beyond friendship, and where would that leave you? Certainly not with Tenchi. But if you don't help, you have a chance to win Tenchi while Ryoko isn't speaking to him. This is your chance to get in there with him, Aeka, but you don't want to win Tenchi like that. You want him to choose you because he loves you as much as you love him. Not because his first choice is pissed at him. I guess your problem is all moral." She continues.  
  
I just look at her and sigh.   
  
"I guess you're right."  
  
"Of course I am. But seriously Aeka. Let them figure this out for themselves. If they want to tell you, let them tell you. You won't get any information out of me."  
  
"Thank you, Mis-uh, Little Washu."  
  
"You're welcome, Aeka! Oh, and tell Sasami I'm doing fine. I'll be out for lunch. I am kind of hungry."   
  
"All right." I say as I walk out of the lab, only to nearly run into Father.  
  
"Excuse me, Aeka." He says and continues on his way.  
  
"Aeka, did she know anything about what's going on?" Sasami asks as I sit on the couch.  
  
"Yes." I say.  
  
Quickly the TV turns off and Kione, Mihoshi, and Sasami's attention are focused on me.  
  
"She wouldn't tell me anything though. She said we should just wait until they were ready to tell us what is going on."  
  
They collectively sighed, frustrated.   
  
"They'll never tell us!" Sasami laments  
  
"Tell you what?" Ryoko asks.  
  
We all jump and quickly turn around to see her standing there in a towel, her hair dripping on the floor.  
  
"Ryoko! You're getting the floor all wet."  
  
"Sorry, Sasami." She says, doing nothing about it. "What are you guys talking about?"  
  
"Oh, just a TV show we were watching." Mihoshi says quickly.  
  
I can hear Kione sigh, annoyed by her partners lack of thought.  
  
Ryoko gives Mihoshi a strange look.   
  
"Uh-huh. And what exactly are the people in the TV going to tell you, Mihoshi?"  
  
Mihoshi doesn't say anything and looks to Sasami, Kione, and myself for help.  
  
"It was nothing Ryoko. Don't worry about it." I say.  
  
"Sasami? Is lunch ready?" Tenchi asks, just then walking inside.  
  
"Lunch! I forgot all about it!" Sasami says, running into the kitchen.  
  
Tenchi walks out into the living room and looks at Ryoko sadly as she just teleports upstairs.  
  
Kione and I just look at one another, and to Tenchi as he sits down.  
  
"What's going on here? Why do you three look so sad?" He asks.  
  
"Sad? I didn't realize that we looked sad." Mihoshi says.  
  
"We're just worried." Kione says.  
  
"Worried? About what?" Tenchi asks.  
  
"Well, there's this friend of mine at one of my part-time jobs and she had this super relationship going. But something happened and now they don't even talk to one another. Its just so sad because they had the chance to really be great together." Kione says, covering herself rather badly.  
  
"Uh-huh..." Tenchi says. "You girls just watch too much TV." He says and he goes to his room.  
  
Kione sighs, frustrated again.   
  
"This is really getting on my nerves." She says.  
  
"Mine as well." I say, getting up and heading upstairs.  
  
"Where are you going Aeka?" Mihoshi asks me.  
  
"I'm going to talk to a friend." I say, walking toward Ryoko's room.  
  
I knock on the door quietly.  
  
"Who is it and what do you want?" Ryoko says from the other side of the door.  
  
"Its Aeka." I say.  
  
The door opens a little bit and I find Ryoko staring at me.  
  
"What do you want, Princess? Did the TV tell you want you wanted to hear?" She asks.  
  
"I wanted to talk, Ryoko."   
  
"Look, if you've come up here to be nosey again Aeka, I'm not going to tell you what happened. Its between Tenchi and me. I know you're just trying to be helpful, but you're actually starting to annoy me. Please just mind your own business." She closes the door quietly.  
  
I stand there staring at the door for a while.  
  
"Go AWAY AEKA!" She screams, knowing that I'm still outside the door.  
  
Tenchi comes running out of his room when he hears her scream.  
  
"What's happened, Aeka?" He asks me.  
  
I only look at him and go to my room.  
  
Damn the both of them. If Ryoko and I hadn't formed such a friendship in all those months that we didn't have Tenchi to fight over, I just know that I would have taken advantage of this situation and now I find that I'm stopping myself. Checking my loyalties. Miss Washu was right. This is a matter of morals. Of principles. I think mine are in the right place. All I want to do is help them reconcile whatever has happened. Whatever happens after that is Fate, right?   
  
I don't want to see Ryoko with Tenchi. I want to be with Tenchi. I love him more than I've ever loved before, but I know that we're not meant to be now. This rift between him and Ryoko is proof of that. If we were meant to be, he would have spoken to me about this. He would've asked for my advice. But he doesn't want my advice. He doesn't even want to talk to me.  
  
For years I suppose that I've known that Tenchi doesn't return my feelings. But to see him with Ryoko! Even if she is a friend, its still painful. But I'm probably overreacting. Nobody knows what will happen...  
  
"Aeka?" Tenchi is at my door.   
  
"What is it, Lord Tenchi?" I ask him politely, opening my door.  
  
"I just wanted to see if you were ok. You looked shaken up when Ryoko screamed like she did." He says.  
  
"She just got upset. It was my fault, I suppose. But I'm fine, Tenchi. Thank you for asking." I say, smiling.  
  
He smiles back and walks away.   
  
I stand at the door for I don't know how long and go back inside and collapse on my bed and I cry.  
  
=====================  
~End Chapter 2 of Part 2~  
That's it for Aeka. Sasami will take over now.  
Up next: Sasami! Chapter 1: No Need for Foolish Games  
Sasami! is a continuation of Part 2 so it really should be  
chapter 3, but I figured that might confuse some people.


	3. Sasami - No Need for Foolish Games!

Princesses: Chapter 3- Sasami! No Need for Foolish Games  
  
Author: Ryoko-chan  
  
Email: _Ryoko_@masakishrine.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Sasami learns of what happened between Ryoko and Tenchi, but only after something potentially tragic happens.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them as much as I'd like to. The Tenchi Muyo! gang belong to AIC, TV Tokyo, and Pioneer Entertainment. I just manipulate them into my stories and I draw their picture sometimes.   
  
Author's' note: I am SO SORRY if this confuses anyone...this story is called chapter 3 because Sasami! is part of the second part of the series, so its still part two. Therefore it would be chapter 3. I know, its confusing. Its my own fault, I'm stupid. I wouldn't be surprised if no one read my stories now! ::sobs uncontrollably::  
==============================  
  
PRINCESSES: CHAPTER 3- SASAMI! NO NEED FOR FOOLISH GAMES  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
Aeka, Kione, and Mihoshi have been trying to find out what has happened between Tenchi and Ryoko for almost a week now. I don't understand why they just don't give up. Ryoko is mad at Aeka now and Tenchi seems to be distancing himself from everyone.  
  
It has been five days since Ryoko woke up from her fight with that girl Miho. Everyone has their own theories about what happened between them. Kione thinks that something happened before Ryoko even left to fight Miho, but Mihoshi is convinced it was something that happened during the battle, but since she didn't see the battle, she didn't know for certain. Aeka and I did see the battle though, and we're not even certain.  
  
I just wish things could be like they were. I mean back when we first got here before any trouble started at all. When Ryoko and Aeka would destroy the house on a daily basis trying to win Tenchi's attention, Miss Washu would come out of her lab and introduce us to her new experiments, and life would be peaceful. But now I've seen more tears than I ever thought possible.  
  
Nobody knows for sure what is going on around here. I truly thing only Tenchi, Ryoko, and Miss Washu know for certain and they're not telling any of us until they are ready too. Who knows when that might be. In the meantime, Aeka and the others will try to find out what is happening.  
  
It is late now. I can't sleep. I haven't slept much at all in the past few nights. I continue to have these dreams, but they're not like my usual dreams. These dreams change every night, but every one of them ends with someone getting hurt. Either Aeka, Ryoko, Tenchi, or myself. It is as if someone is giving me a choice as to who should be hurt. I can't make that kind of decision. I don't want to make that kind of decision.  
  
I sigh and stand up, walking out into the living room. Its rather cold in here. Dark too, of course. It's only four o'clock in the morning. I might as well start breakfast. In about two hours the house will be awake. I remember when I used to come here every night when we first arrived on earth. There were so many people here, late at night was the only time to be alone. After a while I discovered that I wasn't the only one who used the night for solitude. Ryoko had been known to camp out on the roof for rather long periods of time, but not on nights like this. Ryoko hates the cold.  
  
I walk carefully through the living room, not wanting to knock anything over in the dark. When I get to the kitchen I turn a light on. Looking out in the living room, I see Ryo-ohki sitting next to the door.  
  
"Ryo-ohki, what are you doing out here?" I ask, walking over to the little cabbit.  
  
Ryo-ohki is Ryoko's spaceship. She can take the form of a small cabbit or a little girl. She always seems to be more comfortable in her cabbit form though. Ryo-ohki is an experiment of Miss Washu's, just like Ryoko is. But it really is unfair to think of them that way. Ryoko is actually Miss Washu's daughter and although Miss Washu doesn't show it often, she cares about her daughter.  
  
"Miao." Ryo-ohki says mournfully when she sees me.  
  
This worries me. Ryo-ohki never sounds like that unless something is wrong. I know that she and Ryoko have a telepathic bond, so maybe all of this stuff with Tenchi and Ryoko has just been affecting her. At least that's what I think it is until I look outside.  
  
Standing by the lake I can barely see Ryoko standing there, completely motionless. Her hair is down, not spiky like it usually is. Her hair only gets like that when its wet. She's staring at the water, her arms wrapped around herself.  
  
"What is she doing out there, Ryo-ohki? She'll freeze!" I say, running outside.   
  
A freezing cold wind meets me when I open the door. I can't believe that Ryoko would stay outside in weather like this. She despises the cold.  
  
"Ryoko!" I yell, trying to get her attention before I walk up to her.  
  
She still doesn't move, continuing to stare at the water.  
  
"Ryoko, please. Come inside. You'll freeze out here." I say, pulling on her hand. She's frozen!  
  
"I've ruined everything, Sasami." She says quietly.   
  
"Please! Ryoko! Come inside!" I say, pulling on her more.  
  
"I can't go back in there." She says quietly as she sits down on the ground.  
  
"Ryoko!" I say, trying not to cry.  
  
She just goes back to staring out of the lake, forgetting that I'm even standing there.  
  
I leave Ryo-ohki with Ryoko and run back into the house.  
  
"Tenchi! Aeka! Miss Washu! Someone, get up!" I shout, running in the house, nearly tripping.  
  
"Sasami, what's wrong?" Aeka asks, being the first one to show up.   
  
Mihoshi, Kione, Father, Washu, and Tenchi arrive shortly after.  
  
"It's Ryoko! She's outside by the lake. She's frozen! I can't get her to come inside. She's soaking wet. I don't know how long she's been standing out there." I say.  
  
Aeka, Father, Kione, and Mihoshi quickly go outside. I just collapse on the couch, crying. Tenchi comes downstairs and Washu goes into get some blankets.  
  
"Sasami, are you all right?" Tenchi asks.  
  
"Yes, just be sure Ryoko's all right. I don't know how long she had been out there, Tenchi." I say, repeating myself.  
  
"Its all right, Sasami. I'm sure she'll be fine."  
  
Just then Aeka, Mihoshi, Father, and Kione show up, leading a very cold Ryoko inside. They sit her next to the heater and Miss Washu walks up with the blankets.  
  
"Look at how blue she is, Miss Washu. Is she going to be all right?" Mihoshi asks worriedly.  
  
"I don't know yet, Mihoshi. We'll just have to watch her for a while." She says, turning to me. "Sasami, can you make some tea. We need to warm her up from the inside."  
  
"All right." I say, walking into the kitchen to make the tea.  
  
Why can't things just be the way the used to be?  
  
  
Miss Washu and Mihoshi stayed up with Ryoko until morning. That is, until about ten, then Aeka and Kione took over. I had fallen asleep on the couch, which is strange because I don't even remember finishing the tea. When I woke up, Tenchi and Father were attempting to make breakfast but I quickly kicked them out of the kitchen and took over myself.  
  
I quickly start to cut up the vegetables for breakfast when Miss Washu walks into the kitchen, stretching.  
  
"How is she, Miss Washu?" I ask, looking out into the living room.  
  
"I don't know quite yet, Sasami. She is still below her normal body temperature." She says, worriedly.  
  
"Why would she sit out there like that, Miss Washu?" I ask, looking over at her.  
  
"I don't know, Sasami. But its a good thing you found her when you did. What were you doing up so early?"  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
"Bad dreams?"   
  
"Yeah, something like that."  
  
She sighs loudly.  
  
"That's probably why Ryoko was outside like she was." She says.  
  
"Why? Bad dreams?"  
  
"No, a bad reality."  
  
"Do you know what's wrong with her?" I ask.  
  
"I think I might. I'll tell you, but you can't tell anyone else, all right Sasami?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"You know about the telepathic connection Ryoko and I share?"  
  
"Yeah, like the one between her and Ryo-ohki."   
  
"Yes, but not exactly. To a certain extent, I can control Ryoko's actions. I used to all the time when she was a space pirate. You do know that everything she did then was involuntary? She hated killing, but I managed to find a way to block that out for her. She never enjoyed that life the way she would want anyone to think. I tried to help her deal with it the best I could. Of course, she didn't know anything about me. Either way, she hid her memories of those days away in her mind. When Miho arrived, they started to surface again while she only tried to suppress them even more."  
  
"That's why she wanted Miho gone."  
  
"Yes, And she knew what kind of trouble the girl could cause. Anyway, I went inside her thoughts again and broke down the little wall she had hidden her memories behind and as it turned out, Ryoko got the urge to talk when Tenchi was around, so she told him everything she could remember. As you should know, she doesn't share her past very often. She placed a lot of trust in Tenchi to tell him that. She expected him to respect her wishes regarding her and Miho's duel as well..."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Ryoko asked Tenchi to stay out of the fight no matter what happened. When Miho was about to kill her, Tenchi stepped in, breaking his promise. Ryoko was upset, I could tell just by looking at her. But then she defeated Miho and I thought that all would have been forgiven between the two, but Tenchi wounded Ryoko's pride. Not to mention her trust."  
  
"But Tenchi would not have just let Miho kill her when he could have done something. Surely she must have realized that." I say, defending Tenchi, but feeling a profound sadness about Ryoko as well.  
  
"We both know that Sasami, but Ryoko looked more into it. She didn't see it that way. She saw it as a betrayal. That is, until last night. I was talking with her about it last night, telepathically. It was about midnight. I knew that she was outside, but I figured that she would have come in knowing how much she hates the cold weather. Something's going on in her head and I'm going to find out what it is. I just don't think I can when she is like this. She has too many defenses up right now."  
  
"That's so sad...Poor Ryoko." I say, handing Miss Washu a cup of tea. "Get her feeling well soon, Miss Washu so we can put all of this behind us."  
  
"I'll try, Sasami." She says as she walks back into the living room.  
  
====================  
~End Chapter 3 of Part 2~  
Well, that's that...Chapter 4's up next  
Princesses Chapter 4: Sasami! No Need for Sleep  
  
  



	4. Sasami - No Need for Sleep!

Princesses: Chapter 4- Sasami! No Need for Sleep  
  
Author: Ryoko-chan  
  
Email: _Ryoko_@masakishrine.com  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: Ryoko becomes a danger to everyone around her and Sasami pleads with Tenchi to help her when Ryoko does something completely unexpected.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own them as much as I'd like to. The Tenchi Muyo! gang belong to AIC, TV Tokyo, and Pioneer Entertainment. I just manipulate them into my stories and I draw their picture sometimes.   
  
Author's' note: Now this is the last chapter of part 2. Part 3-Galaxy Police is next. That will be split into 2 chapters for Kione and 2 chapters for Mihoshi. I just don't know when I'll get around to writing them. I'm in the process of moving right now, so as soon as I get set up with internet access again, I'll upload the stories.  
==============================  
  
PRINCESSES: CHAPTER 4- SASAMI! NO NEED FOR SLEEP  
By: Ryoko-chan  
  
In the week following the incident with Ryoko, everyone drew further away from one another. I honestly believe that Mihoshi, though she didn't know the whole story, blamed Tenchi in some way from what has happened to Ryoko.  
  
Miss Washu was able to stabilize Ryoko's condition the day after I found her by the lake, nearly frozen, but she said that Ryoko had "shut off" and there was no way to bring her back without her wanting too. Aeka and Mihoshi stayed with Ryoko all the time. Tenchi seemed to avoid even being in the same room as her. Miss Washu stayed in her lab, obviously feeling guilty that she didn't do something to stop Ryoko that night.  
  
So now, even though it is almost midnight, I am sitting in the living room with Ryoko as she stays covered with blankets in front of the window, just staring outside. I remember when Aeka and I first came to the planet. I remember how much Aeka hated Ryoko because she believed that Ryoko had killed Yosho. Even after Aeka discovered that Lord Katsuhito, Tenchi's grandfather, was actually Yosho, they still hated one another. Over time, that just sort of went away. They became almost like sisters, just sometimes their fights would cause small explosions.  
  
Even Tenchi told me once of how he first met Ryoko. When he accidentally released her from the cave that Yosho had placed her in. He told me that she chased him throughout his school, threatening to kill him. I doubt that she would have ever thought such a thing. Not since she used to proudly tell everyone that she watched Tenchi grow up.   
  
"Ryoko, I wish you would talk to us again." I say quietly, hoping that she would hear me and tell me that she was all right.  
  
Washu said that she can hear us, she just doesn't want to respond. She says that she is just being her usual stubborn self and that she would snap out of it anytime. I just wish that she was right.  
  
"Sasami," a voice says, a voice I know too well.  
  
I look at my reflection in the window. Tsunami, the guardian of Jurai. The being that assimilated with my body so many years ago when Ryoko attacked. She saved my life, but now she also has claimed it for her own. Making it my destiny to become her. To take on her role, to give her a solid, physical form.  
  
"Tsunami? What do you want?" I ask.  
  
"I have come because you summoned me. You are worried."  
  
I summoned her?  
  
"Yes," she says, reading my thoughts. "You summoned me subconsciously. What is wrong, Sasami?"  
  
"Ryoko. Can you tell if she is all right?"  
  
"Washu could not tell you?"  
  
"She only said that she would be ok. I want to know if that's the truth."  
  
"Washu would not lie to you, Sasami. She is telling the truth. Ryoko will be all right. You, however, I am concerned for."  
  
"Me? Why? Are you afraid that you won't get your body like you thought?" I snap, not really meaning anything by it.  
  
The reflection in the mirror only smiles gently.  
  
"I am worried that you have not been sleeping, Sasami."  
  
"I can't sleep..."  
  
"You are still having those dreams. You must fight off these visions if you are to survive, Sasami. You cannot allow them to control you such as they do."  
  
I only nod, getting sleepy just talking about it.  
  
"Go to sleep, Sasami. You will be all right. Everything will be all right." I hear Tsunami's voice fading as I close my eyes and slowly fall asleep.  
  
  
"Sasami! Wake up!" I hear Miss Washu's voice in my sleep.  
  
In my sleep...  
  
I quickly open my eyes and sit up straight to find Miss Washu and Mihoshi standing over me.  
  
"What is it? What's wrong?" I ask, looking around for an explanation.  
  
"Where's Ryoko, Sasami? Do you know?" Washu asks me.  
  
"No. She was there last night, I fell asleep. I was supposed to be sitting up with her, I'm so sorry." I say, looking at my hands.  
  
"Don't worry about that, Sasami. Its not your fault you fell asleep. Mihoshi, get everyone else up. We need to find Ryoko."   
  
"All right." Mihoshi says as she runs upstairs to wake up everyone else up.  
  
After about five minutes, everyone is gathered in the living room in their pajamas and robes, looking extremely tired. Just what time is it, anyway?  
  
"What is it, Little Washu? What's happened now?" Tenchi asks, yawning involuntarily.  
  
"Ryoko's disappeared." She says.  
  
"Ryo-ohki is gone too. If she was still in the house, she would have been here by now." I say, starting to put things together.   
  
Ryoko's left for good.  
  
"Do you really think that she took Ryo-ohki and left, Miss Washu? In the state she was in?" Aeka asks.  
  
"Its like I said, Aeka. She might have just snapped out of it and left. Perhaps that is what she was doing the night Sasami found her. She was trying to leave, but something held her here."  
  
"Ryo-ohki didn't want to go." I say, remembering Ryo-ohki sitting by the door. "She was inside when I found Ryoko."  
  
"So what made Ryo-ohki change her mind?" Mihoshi asks.  
  
"Ryoko probably made her leave. The other night, she didn't really want to leave."  
  
"Just what is going on here, Miss Washu? Why was she even thinking about leaving in the first place?" Aeka asks, starting to get annoyed with the lack of explanation.  
  
Before Miss Washu can answer her, there is a loud explosion outside and everyone rushes toward the front windows.  
  
"It's Ryo-ohki!" I say, being the first one to the windows. "What is she doing?"  
  
"It looks like Ryoko snapped out of her stubborn spell and went insane. She's pissed at someone." Kione says. "Come on, Mihoshi. Let's go see if we can talk some sense into her."  
  
Mihoshi nods and within a second both of them are dressed in their Galaxy Police uniforms and they quickly teleport to their ships. Mihoshi to Yukinojo and Kione to Yagami.  
  
"It looks like Ryoko's gone back to being a space pirate. Not surprising. I knew she couldn't stay away from it for long." Aeka says.  
  
I sigh loudly and look at Tenchi.  
  
"Aren't you going to do something Tenchi? Go see if you can talk to her." I say to him, mentally pushing him out of the door.  
  
"I am the last person Ryoko wants to talk to Sasami." He says, looking completely helpless.  
  
"Tenchi, you can't just leave her out there. After everything that's happened..." I grab onto something as there is another explosion outside. "You once said that you would never forsake any of us. Why are you giving up on Ryoko so easily?"  
  
"Sasami's right, Tenchi. You may be exactly who she needs to hear from right now. You have both been acting ridiculous over what happened that day."  
  
"Little Washu, I didn't-"  
  
"I don't care, Tenchi. All I care about is that Ryoko is outside in a very powerful spaceship and she is extremely pissed off. Go talk to her, Tenchi. Now." Miss Washu says to him angrily.  
  
Aeka only looks at Miss Washu, confused, not knowing what she is talking about.  
  
Tenchi looks at me, then at Miss Washu.  
  
"All right. You three stay inside though. She might not be herself." He says, as he slowly walks outside.  
  
"Of course she's not herself." Miss Washu says to herself, but I overhear it.  
  
"What do you mean, Miss Washu? Do you know what has happened?"   
  
"Yes, of course I know, Sasami. Ryoko has allowed her gems to control her. She's given up so the gems took over."  
  
"But I thought that the gems had to be controlled by someone else in order for that to happen, Miss Washu." Aeka says, walking over to us.  
  
"That would be the case, Miss Aeka, if Ryoko didn't have all three of her gems. After the fight with Miho, Tenchi never replaced the gems into the Master Key. Therefore the power in the gems is subsided as long as Ryoko wills it to be. When you found her by the lake, Sasami, she was probably confused. Whenever she had all of her gems before, she had been controlled. She never had all of that power by herself before. It has worn her down and taken her back to her past again."  
  
"But if the gems' power has taken over her body, how can she be stopped?" I ask, glancing out the window at the blackened mountainside, wondering where Ryo-ohki and Ryoko had gone to now.  
  
"The same way she was before, Sasami. Tenchi will have to defeat her in the same way Yosho had 700 years ago. A jab to the neck. The gems will release their power and be replaced into the Master Key."  
  
"Her neck? Won't that kill her?" I say, stopping myself from crying now. This has to be a nightmare. This is what happens when I fall asleep.  
  
"It didn't kill her before. Ryoko is very powerful, but she doesn't know the extent of her powers and she can't control them. That is why this is happening now."  
  
"When Tenchi defeats her, will she go back to as she was before, or will she be Ryoko as we knew her before all of this happened?" Aeka asks, looking warily at the door.  
  
"There is no way to tell, Aeka. It's all up to Ryoko and Tenchi now. The weaker Ryoko gets mentally, the more the gems will overtake her."  
  
"But why is she acting this way under their control? Why is she so destructive?" I ask.  
  
"The last time the gems were joined together within her, they were under Kagato's control. He made her destroy and kill. If Ryoko is still in there anywhere, she still has some control over what happens, but I don't know how long that will last."  
  
I glance out of the window again.  
  
"Ryo-ohki's back. I think Ryoko is listening to Tenchi." I say, pointing out the window.  
  
Outside Tenchi was shouting up to Ryo-ohki as Yagami and Yukinojo were moving in on Ryoko. Suddenly Ryo-ohki started to glow.  
  
"She wouldn't..." I hear Miss Washu say behind me.  
  
"She wouldn't what?" Aeka asks frantically.  
  
Then Ryo-ohki's transport beam scanned Tenchi and he disappeared.  
  
"She's taken Lord Tenchi!" Aeka screams, nearly breaking the windows.  
  
Miss Washu runs to her lab as Aeka and I run out of the house, screaming for Ryoko to come back, but she and Ryo-ohki just go straight up into space with Yagami and Yukinojo following close behind her.  
  
=================  
~End Chapter 4 of Part 2~  
That's it for Sasami. Part 3 is coming soon.  
Galaxy Police- Chapter 1: Mihoshi - No Need for Space Pirates  
  
A/N: I am in the process of moving right now so I don't know when I will be able to upload Part 3 onto the site. Once I get my computer set up again and everything's settled and I have internet access, I'll post them, I promise.


End file.
